Mobile data traffic from PC modems and routers is expected to increase fourfold between 2010 and 2014, according to a report from ABI Research.
The firm said that this year some 2,000 petabytes of data will be sent and received, and the figure is expected to rise to about 8,000 petabytes in 2014.
According to the report, USB modems are the largest contribution to the demand, with general web and internet access the leading application by a wide margin, followed by video streaming and TV viewing and audio streaming at much lower level.
Peer-to-peer and VoIP applications contribute relatively little to the overall usage mix due to operator service restrictions and/or monthly data usage caps, the firm said.
Jeff Orr, senior analyst of mobile devices at ABI Research, said: “Today, and for most of our forecast period, modems and routers in Western Europe will generate the highest levels of mobile data traffic, but by an ever-decreasing margin. In 2014, we expect the Asia-Pacific region to overtake Western Europe as the largest source of demand for this traffic.
“This research continues to demonstrate devices such as modems and routers are driving the majority of mobile data traffic. It’s not smartphones, nor computers with embedded radios. Versatile, aftermarket modem products are really driving mobile data traffic on the world’s networks.”
